July 2017 Yogi of the Month: Meet Melissa Wasserman

The 216 community of yogis is rich and diverse. Each month, we invite a different yogi to share their yoga journey and demo our month’s focus. This month, we checked in with Melissa Wasserman, who has finally found her way back into yoga after a bittersweet introduction years ago!

Namaste, Melissa! We are lucky to have you as part of our community!

The first time I went to a yoga class I was 18 years old. I dragged my freshman year college roommate, who I had known since we were six, to a free class offered in our dorm. I loved every minute of it but she hated it. Being too shy to go alone, I never went back.

Over the years, I would drop into random yoga classes at whatever gym I was a member of at the time but never fully committed to anything. The large class sizes and fast-paced instruction with little individual attention were frustrating for me.

About 6 years ago during my first pregnancy, I finally found a studio and teacher that I loved. My husband and I were living in London at the time and were far away from our family and friends. The prenatal classes offered a community and support network that were exactly what I needed. The classes were a gentle reintroduction into the world of yoga, and to strength, flexibility, and mindfulness.

Once my son arrived, yoga was put on the back burner. I continued to drop into classes over the next few years, but we moved a bit further away from the studio and had another baby, so with two children under the age of 2, I had a hard time developing a regular practice.

We moved back to NYC in 2015 and after almost two years of thinking about yoga, I finally decided to take the plunge and try the little studio around the corner from our apartment. I was intrigued by Yoga 216’s semi-private classes and was hoping it would be everything I was looking for in a studio. My first class was the Monday evening Fundamentals class with Esther.

I was hooked from day one.

As a full-time mom of two young children and a part-time student studying nutrition at NYU, it’s easy for me to get consumed by my children’s schedules and make excuses about not having any time to work out.

Having a regular yoga practice has given me the chance to slow down, focus on myself, and reset. I’ve been coming to Yoga 216 regularly for 7 months now and am noticeably stronger, more flexible, and more focused in and out of the studio.

The unanticipated bonus from my time at Yoga 216 has been joining this welcoming group of instructors and students. It has been apparent from the beginning that this is more than just a yoga studio and I feel lucky to be part of this community.